Apocalyptic Traditions, Society and Power 400-1100

The Fellowship will allow me to complete substantially a monograph, Apocalyptic Traditions, Society and Power 400-1100. This will examine how apocalyptic traditions, such as millenarianism and the legend of the Last World Emperor, affected politics and society between the worlds of Augustine of Hippo (d. 430) and Gregory VII (d. 1086). In stretching from Late Antiquity to the High Middle Ages, the study will cross conventional temporal boundaries and shed new light on how apocalyptic anxiety shaped key moments in European history from the reign of Charlemagne to the dawn of the Crusades. Chapters include studies of: (1) ideas of time and the end, (2) the fate of empires, (3) calls for church and social reform, (4) visionaries and heretics, (5) the fear of invasion and the Gog and Magog legend, and (6) the relationship between scientific and apocalyptic interpretations of natural events such as eclipses. Such a thematic exploration of the role of apocalypticism in medieval history will allow a robust comparison of material from Britain, continental Europe and the Byzantine world, while providing a sensitive analysis of how traditions changed in different contexts. The Fellowship will fund the completion of research and the writing of chapters 4-6, as well as introductory and concluding chapters.

The subject of apocalyptic belief and the end of civilisation is both perennially popular and something which influences modern society in a number of ways . The theme of how political leaders, intellectuals and society in general respond to widespread structural upheaval, for instance, has contemporary resonance, particularly in the ways in which apocalyptic rhetoric is appropriated in the media both to conceptualise and to manage such change. Dissemination of the proposed research will contribute to understanding the nature and role of apocalyptic discourses in challenging times.

People in creative industries, making documentaries, films or games, would find a clear discussion of apocalyptic legends and their influence on the medieval world to be a valuable resource. Commercial potential in such themes within history can be found in references to them in such varied recent products as Rob Bartlett's documentary The Medieval Mind or the entertainment series Merlin for the BBC, Tom Holland's popular history book Millennium (which I commented upon in draft for the author), or the set-ups and back stories for the computer game Medieval Total War II. The PATHWAYS TO IMPACT statement addresses how my research could be promoted to the makers of such products.

The wider public will also be interested in the dramatic nature of the legends and their influence, particularly as a mirror for the current mood of crisis and decay in the wake of global economic uncertainty. The PATHWAYS TO IMPACT statement addresses ways in which this can be stimulated effectively, including public lectures and podcasts, participation in exhibitions, and the creation of supplementary outputs such as essays for a general audience.